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Community Medical Center To Hold Colorectal Cancer Awareness Fair
Toms River, N.J., February 26, 2008 - Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States with about 57,000 deaths per year. Few Americans know that regular screening tests can detect the disease in its most treatable stages.
The goal of National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, observed each March, is to create awareness about colorectal cancer and encourage disease prevention through regular screening and healthy living.
In recognition of National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, Community Medical Center is holding a Colorectal Cancer Awareness Fair on Tuesday, March 11 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Outpatient Lobby, adjacent to the outpatient registration area. Various departments will take part in the fair to provide information on risk factors, prevention strategies, treatment options and nutritional considerations. There will also be physicians and nurses available to answer or address questions or concerns.
Colorectal cancer is a term used to refer to cancer that starts in the colon or rectum. In most cases, colon and rectum cancers develop slowly over a period of several years. It is known now that most of these cancers begin as a polyp, or a growth of tissue into the center of the colon or rectum. A type of polyp known as adenoma can become cancerous but removing the polyp early may prevent colorectal cancer. It is important that people practice a healthy lifestyle and go for regular screenings to detect the disease so it can be treated as early as possible.
Starting at age 50, individuals should receive a digital rectal exam (DRE) and be tested for hidden blood in the stool (fecal occult blood), every year. This test has been proven to reduce the rate of colorectal cancer. Further testing, performed by a colonoscopy may also be recommended if there is a personal or family history of colon polyps or colorectal cancer.
At Community Medical Center, colonoscopies are performed under conscious sedation as an outpatient procedure in the Special Purpose Suite.
In New Jersey, the law requires the state’s insurance companies to provide insurance coverage for appropriate colorectal cancer screenings. Mandatory insurance coverage is required for colorectal cancer screening at regular intervals for people age 50 and older, and for people at any age with a high risk of colon cancer. High risk under the new law includes those people with a family history of colon cancer or certain other cancers, chronic inflammatory bowel disease, or those people with a background; ethnicity or lifestyle that a physician believed puts a person at elevated risk for colorectal cancer.
For more information or for referral to a Community Medical Center gastroenterologist or colorectal surgeon, call 1-888-724-7123.
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